UKZN Press is delighted to announce that two of our authors have won PanSALB awards for translations of their books from English to isiZulu.
PanSALB (The Pan South African Language Board) was established to promote the equal use of the 11 official South African languages and to help develop all our indigenous languages. It actively promotes multilingualism as a national resource and vehicle for national development.
UKZN Press submitted three entries in the PanSALB Multilingualism Awards this year. William Zulu and Gcina Mhlope won in the “Language and Literature” category, which is open to writers who help to promote and preserve the official languages.
The awards were presented at a gala event on Saturday, 19th March at the Sandton Convention Centre.
The first of our winners, William Ndabayakhe Zulu, won the award for his autobiography, Liyoze Line Nangakithi , an isiZulu adaptation of his English autobiography, Spring Will Come, which was runner-up in the 2006 Sunday Times Alan Paton Award in 2008.
Both authors have been recognized for the important role they play in promoting indigenous languages in South Africa by making these books and CDs accessible to a new and vibrant reading audience.
Gcina Mhlope is a well-known South African storyteller, playwright and author. Known for her enchanting telling of African stories, Mhlope feels that the oral traditions of storytelling are dying out. Children are less interested in listening to the stories of their grandparents, and prefer “Granny Google” instead.
Growing up with very little entertainment and no television, Mhlope soon cultivated a love of books. She tells Marion Scher how her travels have shown her the universal appeal of storytelling, which can be appreciated at any age:
Legendary storyteller, playwright, author and poet Gcina Mhlope grew up listening to the magical tales of Africa spun by her grandmother. This shaped her life and she now entrances audiences worldwide with her stories and music.
Today, sadly, very few grannies tell their grandchildren stories. Children aren’t interested in hearing stories from their grandparent’s past. They prefer Granny Google. She’s stolen the place of the real grandmother. When I visit schools, I tell them that Granny Google doesn’t know who they are, doesn’t love and value them. Kids should take time to be with their grandparents – just chill with them.
Gcina Mhlope, author of Our Story Magic and Stories of Africa will be telling her stories at the KZNSA Gallery, December 18th. Mhlope’s stories are enchanting tales steeped in the African oral storytelling tradition.
Join a host of UKZN Press authors and many other bookish types at Yellowwood Farm/Cafe in Howick today, tomorrow and Sunday for a veritable literary feast – and don’t miss the launch, on Sunday 8 August, of the Midlands Writers Trail, an incredible new offering for tourists conjured out of KwaZulu Natal’s gorgeous landscapes by our colleagues at KZN Literary Tourism.
Some of the UKZN Press authors who will appear at the festival are represented by the following books:
Here are the key links to visit ahead of packing your bags for Howick:
The second audio edition of this wonderful CD collection of stories, narrated by South Africa’s most popular performance storyteller, in her inimitable style, is drawn from her well known book Stories of Africa. In addition, there are a number of songs, most of them written by Gcina Mhlophe (with the exception of “Imfene emthini – Baboon in the tree”, a well known traditional children’s song).
For some of the vocals on this CD, Gcina is joined by her daughter, Nomakhwezi Becker, as well as members of the Children’s Choir from Entakemazolo H.P. School in Hammarsdale (a rural area in KwaZulu-Natal).
In Gcina’s words: “I love sharing my songs and stories with others. But my favourite way of relating them is the ancient way of my people – telling them face to face, in front of a live audience. Oh the thrill of seeing faces reacting to what you are saying, of feeling the energy go from the storyteller and back again! I hope that this CD will carry some of that thrill to you, the listener, and that you, too, will feel a story or a song awaken inside you and find yourself wishing to tell it to others. Yes you! Because every living being has a story to tell. So let’s keep passing on the magic.”
